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Thursday, November 28, 2013

The State Of The Kansas City Chiefs

At
the start of the season, It seemed as if the Kansas City Chiefs would
be lucky to reach .500. Half-way through the season, it would be a
total valid argument to have them representing the AFC in the Super
Bowl. How did this happen?

With
the hiring of offensive minded Andy Reid and trading for
middle-of-the road QB Alex Smith, it seemed KC was doomed for another
mediocre season. What ‘experts’ failed to realize was the superb
balance Kansas City’s front office put together.

Offense

With
the help of Andy Reid, Alex Smith has evolved into one of the best
game managers in the league. With limited mistakes, he has, along
with the help of his offensive line, put Kansas City in a position to
win in every game. The run-pass balance has allowed the Chiefs
offense to eat up clock and wear down opposing defenses. This allows
for big plays in the second half; deep bombs set-up by play fakes to
Jamal Charles, who dashes and plows defenses thought the game. This
allows opposing defenses nightmares game planning for Kansas City.

Defense

The
Chiefs dominating defense starts up front. What makes this group so
lethal is their ability to apply an immense amount of pressure to the
quarterback which makes it arduous for any type of pass plays to
develop. Along with this being their strength, it can also be one of
their biggest weaknesses. If the rush fails to pepper the
quarterback, than it is easy pickings for the opposing quarterback to
shred the chiefs sub-par secondary. As long as second year NT Dontari
Poe can eat up blocks, expect the Chief's pressure to come easy. The
only conceivable way to beat this defense is quick, three step drops
that doesn't’t allow time for the pressure to get there. Even
though the Chiefs suffered the loss of their top pass rushers Hali
and Houston, I’m sure the defensive coordinators will be able to
draw up creative blitzes with Eric Berry and others. It showed
against the Chargers, where Hali and Houston went down, that without
proper defensive game planning, Kansas City's defense is very
vulnerable.

Conclusion

The
Chiefs have a shot to go deep into the playoffs as long as they get
Hali or Houston back and the defensive game plan can exploit
protection breakdowns. The offense will continue to dominate games
with TOP as long as the offense remains balanced and mistake free.